Household Nuisance Ants

What are nuisance ants?

Some ants, for example fire ants and harvester ants, are important because they sting people and animals. Some, like carpenter ants, are important because they damage building materials. And, some ants get our attention when they enter homes or buildings in large numbers.

The last group of ants usually cause no damage, and pose little health risk, but are important because of their numbers alone. These are the household nuisance ants. Common household nuisance ants are: odorous house ants, Argentine ants and pharoah ants.

Other common names: sugar ants, moisture ants, sweet ants

Ant biology

Most small ants are yellow, red or black in color, constricted at the waist, and 1/8 - 1/4" long. Some have wings -- these are the "reproductives" of the colony. Most species nest in soil but a few actually build colonies above ground in walls. Ants are generalist scavengers feeding on all sorts of food. This characteristic allows them to adapt to whatever food sources they find in our homes.

Ant control

While household nuisance ants generally cause no damage in homes they can become so numerous that their mere presence warrants control. The safest, and, it turns out, the best approach to ant control is to use baits. Baits pose little risk to others in the house and are relatively inexpensive. There is no need to apply insecticide sprays for these pests.